Who is the best young player in the Premier League? Our weekly Wonderkid Power Rankings are back to figure it out.
A brand new Premier League season is underway, and that means the return of 3 Added Minutes’ regular Wonderkid Power Rankings – our way of keeping track of how the most talented young players in the country are performing at the highest level, and of working out who the best of the best actually are.
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Getty Images/Iconic Media
Every week during the domestic season, we’ll be putting together a Top 10 of the most in-form Under-21s in the top flight based not on potential or progress, but on how they’re actually playing and affecting the games they’re playing in.
At the start of a new season, our rankings will inevitably fluctuate rapidly and wildly – after all, we’re only judging our starlets on one single match so far – but we suspect that quite a few members of our first rankings for the 2026/27 season will be in it for the long haul, and can’t wait to see how they all pan out. Let’s take a look at the first Power Rankings of the campaign…
10. Archie Gray – Tottenham Hotspur
Gray became the youngest player ever to captain Spurs on Saturday, and while the game against Brentford not have gone according to plan – to say the very least – the young utility man acquitted himself well as he filled in for Pedro Porro at right-back.
Gray ended the game without missing a single tackle and having won all but one of his one-on-one duels. His passing was tidy and while the decision to give him the armband was a surprise, he ended up looking better suited to the role than most of his team-mates after their distinctly tepid performance.
9. Josh Acheampong – Chelsea
Josh Acheampong only had 10 Premier League starts under his belt before Monday - but could be a regular under Xabi Alonsoplaceholder image
Josh Acheampong only had 10 Premier League starts under his belt before Monday - but could be a regular under Xabi Alonso | Getty Images
The 20-year-old definitely didn’t necessarily put in a flawless performance against Fulham on Monday evening – he might have reacted better to the rebound which Gonzalo García scored from, for starters – but Acheampong did a hell of a lot more right than wrong, and was very heavily involved throughout. The Chelsea centre-back ended up with seven clearances, four tackles, six ball recoveries and an interception to his name as he threw himself into his work with noticeable intent.
8. Jérémy Jacquet – Liverpool
A promising debut for the young Frenchman, who got through his first game as a Liverpool player without a single blemish on his record – he won every tackle, every duel and every header, all while showing plenty of calm under pressure, passing the ball nicely when pressed by Newcastle’s attack. This wasn’t necessarily a stellar outing, nor did it create many moments for the highlight reel, but Jacquet simply didn’t put a foot wrong during a tough match for his new club.
7. Nico O’Reilly – Manchester City
Nico O'Reilly was a regular in our Wonderkid Power Rankings last seasonplaceholder image
Nico O'Reilly was a regular in our Wonderkid Power Rankings last season | Getty Images
O’Reilly was one of the big breakout stars of the 2025/26 season and got things off to a good start in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth, although it would have been even better if Erling Haaland had managed to score the tremendous chance that the 20-year-old teed up for him after a lung-bursting run down the left wing and a subsequent pinpoint cross. Playing in an attacking midfield role, O’Reilly was creative, composed on the ball and passed it quite beautifully – and the only reason that there wasn’t any end product was that one of the world’s best strikers missed a bit of a sitter.
6. Luka Vušković – Brighton & Hove Albion
The talented Croatian defender will endure tougher tests of his credentials than a routine 4-0 win over a depleted Aston Villa side, but he passed with flying colour on Sunday – just one of his 112 touches of the ball went down as ‘unsuccessful’ as far as the statisticians were concerned and he was noticeably effective in the air, heading several of Villa’s somewhat half-hearted efforts to go direct away from danger. He looked a threat from set pieces, too, and could easily have scored from a narrow angle from one corner routine.
5. Lewis Miley – Newcastle United
Injury means that this was only Lewis Miley's fifth start since Januaryplaceholder image
Injury means that this was only Lewis Miley's fifth start since January | Getty Images
Such was the speed of the young midfielder’s development that Newcastle ended up missing him quite badly when injuries forced him out of the squad for much of the second half of last season – and luckily for the Magpies, he looked like he’s got himself back up to speed pretty swiftly.
Miley put in a lively performance against Liverpool during Sunday’s 2-2 draw, using the ball well, creating a couple of half-chances, and doing a ton of excellent defensive work which included an important blocked shot and six turnovers as he hassled and harried the visitors’ midfield. Industrious and effective in equal measure.
4. Myles Lewis-Skelly – Arsenal
Reports suggest that Arsenal spent a portion of their summer doing their best to sell Lewis-Skelly, and few would blame the youngster if the speculation surrounding his future derailed him at the start of a new season – but instead he looks as impressive as ever, and put in another fine performance after playing well in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.
No goals or assists today, although he managed both in pre-season, but Lewis-Skelly used the ball extremely efficiently in midfield, continually progressing play quickly while breaking down almost every Coventry attack which came near him – he ended up with four turnovers, one blocked shot and five wins from six in one-on-ones for those who keep tabs of the data. A fine all-round outing from the 19-year-old, who seems to be making a point about where he should stand in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order.
3. Joshua King – Fulham
This is Joshua King's debut in the Power Rankingsplaceholder image
This is Joshua King's debut in the Power Rankings | Getty Images
Quite a lot of Fulham’s hope for the future has been pinned on the 19-year-old King, one of the few graduates of their academy programme to make the first team in recent years – and he started repaying some of the fans’ faith with a goal against Chelsea, albeit one which he had little right to score.
Robert Sánchez’s shocking positioning allowed King’s effort to squirt inside the near post, but while he was a little lucky there it was also just reward for an energetic outing. Much of Fulham’s best attacking playing flowed through the young attacking midfielder, who seems to be growing gradually into both his role and the burden of expectation placed upon him.
2. Harrison Armstrong – Everton
Armstrong isn’t necessarily the most subtle or technical player who will trouble our Top 10s this season, but few young players can keep pace with him when it comes to raw work ethic – and his ceaseless willingness to throw himself into the action proved to be decisive against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Not only did he rack up a massive 11 turnovers as he hurtled about the pitch finding fires to put out, but he also teed up Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s opener by robbing Daniel Muñoz of the ball and then playing his team-mate in. Armstrong put constant pressure on Palace’s players, constant pressure on the ball, and it paid off handsomely.
1. Jack Hinshelwood – Brighton & Hove Albion
Jack Hinshelwood is no stranger to our rankings - but this is his first time at number oneplaceholder image
Jack Hinshelwood is no stranger to our rankings - but this is his first time at number one | Getty Images
Sometimes, it’s incredibly difficult to work out who should take the number one spot. Not this time. Hinshelwood only touched the ball 25 times against Aston Villa but two of those touches resulted in goals and most of the others served a substantive purpose as well. There’s simply no arguing with an impact like that.
The first was an easy finish with a point-blank header after a fine run towards the far post, the second the result of the sheer tenacity shown by both himself and fellow midfielder Yasin Ayari to hunt down João Gomes as a pack, rob him of the ball and make the most of the resulting opportunity.
Admittedly, it looked a bit like a foul – but that was between Ayari and the referee. Hinshelwood maximised every touch he took, won every tackle he went in for and came on top in every duel he wound up in. A fine way to start the new season, and a performance worthy of our first number one spot of 2026/27.